A Matter of Choice
by DoctorH
Summary: A Murdoch Mysteries teleplay, just like a TV episode. Following a brutal murder, Murdoch formulates a plan by which the premeditated crime could have been committed. But the plan seems to require the cooperation of someone whose ethics are beyond reproach; otherwise the plan had to account for choices that could not possibly have been known in advance. Solution included.
1. ACT 1

"A Matter of Choice"

This story is dedicated with great love to PEBH:  
"Loss of an educator is always a great loss." — Wm. Murdoch

(PRODUCTION NOTES: The setting at the University of Toronto is a matter of convenience. It is possible that another college or university of the time period would serve. Some historical background would be in order to be certain that buildings are called by proper names— instead of generic names like "Building A"— as well as the areas of study offered and the degrees available. The historical details can be added without compromising the nature of the mystery. Further, it is recommended that the staging of Acts I, IV and V be done with the assistance of a professional magician as a consultant.)

ACT I

(FADE IN. ESTABLISHING SHOT OF A UNIVERSITY OR COLLEGE CAMPUS, a sunny morning. CUT TO: GROUND-LEVEL SHOT of the campus. Assembled in an open area are several people. One is Reverend Paul SPENCER, a very distinguished and well-dressed gentleman, confined to a wheelchair. Next to SPENCER is Professor Marcus NEWELL, a middle-aged man, small and slight, using a curved-end wooden cane, dressed in a suit befitting his profession. NEWELL holds his cane in one hand, a clipboard in the other. Standing in an arc around SPENCER and NEWELL are ten STUDENTS: CLAY, DALY, BERGER, AVLON, SCHNEIDER, LEWIS, MARCEAU, UMFORTH, SHERMAN and TRAVIS. They are all college-age and physically fit, and dressed in work attire. Most are men, but some may be women. Robert CLAY is a man, quite tall, and obviously in very good physical shape; CLAY is considerably more athletic in appearance than the others. UMFORTH, the only other tall man, is as tall as or taller than CLAY, but of much slighter build.)

SPENCER  
Thank you all for coming. I see that you are all dressed for a day of hard work. Good! You will be working today, doing some things that are not very pleasant to do, but very necessary. Professor Newell, here, has a list of tasks that must be completed before we begin our school year next week. The tasks involve such things a moving waste material, doing some simple maintenance, cleaning up rubbish, and so forth. Are you all up to it?

(The STUDENTS show enthusiasm. SPENCER is delighted.)

SPENCER  
Good show! I am pleased to say that all of these tasks ought to be completed before noon; and if you will join us at the dining hall at noon in the commons, you will all be my guests at lunch! Now, Professor Newell will select you for your assignments.

(NEWELL holds up his clipboard, so the STUDENTS can see it. The writing on the paper on the clipboard is too small to read.)

NEWELL  
I have here a list of jobs that we will be doing today. Only—

(NEWELL lowers his clipboard and bows deferentially to SPENCER.)

NEWELL  
I would like to ask that Reverend Spencer select the students for the jobs, as he has done for many years past.

SPENCER (waving it off)  
Oh, good heavens.

NEWELL (smiling)  
Please, Reverend. For old times' sake.

SPENCER  
Oh, very well. What do we need?

NEWELL (checking his clipboard)  
Well, would you please, sir, divide these ten students into two groups of five?

(SPENCER waves to the five rightmost students: LEWIS, MARCEAU, UMFORTH, SHERMAN and TRAVIS.)

SPENCER  
All right, you five are one group—

NEWELL (interrupting)  
— And I will need this group (pointing to the five identified by SPENCER) to go to Building B and report to a Mr. Atherton. (for emphasis) That's Mr. Atherton. You will be doing some moving of materials out of the building. It should be easy work, but there is a lot of it to do; so, off you go!

(NEWELL points LEWIS, MARCEAU, UMFORTH, SHERMAN and TRAVIS in the direction of Building B, and they turn and begin walking in that direction. NEWELL consults his clipboard.)

NEWELL  
Very good. Now, Reverend, from these five students, I would like you to select three, for some tasks that are somewhat more engaging.

(SPENCER points at CLAY, DALY and BERGER).

SPENCER  
All right, you, you and you. There's your group of three.

NEWELL  
Thank you, Reverend.

(NEWELL checks his clipboard, briefly, and then addresses AVLON and SCHNEIDER.)

NEWELL  
As it happens, I have a job that requires just two people: doing some clean-up in Building A. Would the two of you please report to Mr. Hopper in Building A? He will tell you what to do. That's Mr. Hopper. Off you go.

(NEWELL points AVLON and SCHNEIDER in the direction of Building A, and they head off in that direction.)

NEWELL  
And the remaining three tasks are for just one person each. (To SPENCER) If you would, please, Reverend, select someone who you think would be trustworthy?

SPENCER (pointing at BERGER)  
This seems like a trustworthy fellow!

NEWELL  
(to BERGER) Would you please report to Mr. Burlington in Building B? He needs someone trustworthy and will tell you what needs to be done. Mr. Burlington.

(NEWELL points BERGER in the direction of Building B, and off BERGER goes. NEWELL briefly glances at his clipboard again.)

NEWELL  
(To SPENCER) Now, Reverend, I need someone would you think would be helpful.

SPENCER (pointing at CLAY)  
This looks like a helpful young man!

NEWELL  
Well, I certainly hope so; (to CLAY) for you will be helping me as I prepare a maintenance list in Building C. (To SPENCER) I take it, Reverend, that you deem this last person to be a persistent student?

SPENCER (good-naturedly)  
Well, he certainly looks persistent, I suppose!

NEWELL  
I agree, sir, an excellent choice. (to DALY) An excellent choice to assist Professor Bottoms in Building B. Professor Bottoms needs the help of a persistent student to arrange his library, and I am certain you will be able to help him! So— off you go—

(NEWELL points DALY in the direction of Building B, and off DALY goes.)

NEWELL (continuing)  
— (to CLAY) and you will be assisting me, Mister—?

CLAY  
Clay, sir. Robert Clay.

NEWELL (continuing)  
— Mr. Clay, and—

(NEWELL bows to SPENCER.)

NEWELL (continuing)  
— Many thanks to you, Reverend Spencer, for your excellent eye in selecting students for the respective tasks.

(SPENCER is flattered, and smiles. NEWELL hangs his can from his wrist and gets behind SPENCER's wheelchair and begins to push it, using the wheelchair rather than the cane for support.)

NEWELL  
Mr. Clay, we will take Reverend Spencer back to the commons, and then we will proceed to Building C.

CLAY  
Very good, sir.

(NEWELL pushes SPENCER along, CLAY trailing. CUT TO: ESTABLISHING SHOT OF THE COLLEGE CAMPUS, same time. DISSOLVE TO: ESTABLISHING SHOT OF THE SAME COLLEGE CAMPUS, except it is no longer a sunny morning, but it is a cloudy late morning or early midday on the same day. CUT TO: GROUND-LEVEL SHOT of one of the buildings on the campus. A sign shows it to be "BUILDING D." CUT TO: INTERIOR OF BUILDING D, a hallway. Walking in the hallway is Professor Edmund BARNES. BARNES notices that one of the doorways, one marked "Chemistry Laboratory," is partly open. BARNES takes the knob of the door and pushes open the door. CUT TO: INTERIOR OF THE LAB, with several lab tables. There are no windows. The lab seems to be deserted. All of the tables are bare, except one, which has a weighing scale and a sample bottle and some notes. BARNES heads toward the table that seems to be in use.)

BARNES  
Hello?

(Presently, BARNES sees a hand and arm of a body lying on the floor. BARNES gasps. BARNES quickly moves to get a better look, and sees the body of Professor Marion Trenton lying on the floor, the body's mouth open in an odd expression. One of Trenton's arms seems to be twisted bizarrely behind his back, and there seems to be a thin red but not bloody line crossing his throat. Blood is pooling near the body's mouth. The body is that of a man of relatively short stature, though this is not evident from the body lying on the floor. BARNES is horrified and runs from the lab. FADE OUT.)


	2. ACT 2

ACT II

(FADE IN. ESTABLISHING SHOT OF CITY MORGUE, a cloudy early evening on the same day. CUT TO: INTERIOR OF THE MORGUE. A body, covered by a sheet, is on the examination table. OGDEN is making some notes. MURDOCH and CRABTREE enter.)

MURDOCH  
Good evening, Julia.

(OGDEN looks up from her notes, and smiles.)

CRABTREE  
Good evening, Doctor.

OGDEN  
Good evening, George, William. I was just making a few notes. Let me show you what I've found.

(OGDEN rises and goes to the body on the table.)

OGDEN  
The deceased has been positively identified as Marion Trenton, Professor of Chemistry at the University of Toronto. Age: 50; married; four children, all grown. Those who came to identify him said that he had been a professor in Toronto for over twenty years.

MURDOCH  
Loss of an educator is always a great loss.

OGDEN  
Yes. He died this morning at about ten o'clock. The cause of death was strangulation.

(OGDEN lifts the cover from the body so that MURDOCH and CRABTREE can clearly see the red-line wounds on the neck.)

OGDEN  
A strangling loop, probably a garrotte made of very strong and relatively thick wire, was slipped around the professor's neck, and pulled tight. We know it was wire rather than rope because there are no rope fibres in the neck wound, and because the resulting wound is thinner and deeper than would be expected with rope.

MURDOCH  
It would appear to me that someone very strong must have strangled this man; would you agree?

OGDEN  
I would. If the wire was pulled tight by hand, then considerable strength would be needed to pull it this tight.

CRABTREE  
But there are some garrottes that can be pulled tight by use of mechanical advantage. Great strength is not required.

OGDEN  
Yes, George, you are right; but there are other indications that whoever killed the professor was very strong. Looking at the nature of the neck wounds, it seems clear that the victim was not only strangled, but actually had been lifted off the floor by the one holding the garrotte.

(OGDEN pantomimes this.)

OGDEN  
This suggests great strength.

MURDOCH  
And may suggest that the killer was substantially taller than the victim?

OGDEN  
Very likely. And there is also this.

(OGDEN adjusts the cover to expose the victim's wrists, which bear bruise marks.)

OGDEN  
Someone grabbed this man's wrists and held them very tightly. This bruising shows the grip of the killer. A very strong grip it was.

MURDOCH  
Can you reconstruct the sequence of events that led to this man's death?

OGDEN  
Not precisely, but it appears that he was grabbed from behind. His wrists were held tightly. Then a garrotte was slipped over his neck, and pulled until he was strangled to death.

MURDOCH  
That sounds like the professor may have been attacked by more than one person. One person to hold him, and one to strangle him.

OGDEN  
That is possible. However—

(OGDEN indicates the victim's neck wounds again.)

OGDEN  
You see these scratches? They are consistent with the victim's fingernails, as he may have tried to claw at the garrotte.

MURDOCH  
Meaning that when the garrotte was being tightened, the victim's hands had been released. So maybe it was only one attacker after all.

OGDEN  
But there is also this.

(OGDEN indicates wounds to the victim's face.)

OGDEN  
This is most puzzling. The victim was apparently struck in the mouth, possibly by a truncheon or something similar. One tooth was knocked out, and others were loosened.

CRABTREE  
That explains the tooth that was found on the floor of the laboratory, about twenty feet from the professor's body.

OGDEN  
The facial injury is not very great, and it most certainly was not fatal. But it seems very clear that whoever grabbed the professor's wrists and garrotted him was standing behind the professor, while the person who struck him in the mouth was standing in front.

MURDOCH  
So once again, we are back to at least two attackers.

OGDEN  
Two attackers seems to be the most likely scenario, yes.

(CUT TO: ESTABLISHING SHOT OF THE CAMPUS, next morning. CUT TO: SHOT OF ONE BUILDING ON CAMPUS, which may be identified by a sign as Building D. CUT TO: INTERIOR OF THE CAMPUS BUILDING, an office. BARNES is in a chair behind the desk in his office, with MURDOCH and CRABTREE, seated, facing him. BARNES seems to be on the verge of breaking down into tears.)

MURDOCH  
Professor Barnes, you found Professor Trenton's body. Can you tell me about that?

BARNES  
I saw that the door to one of the chemistry labs was open. The door is supposed to be locked at all times. I peeked inside the laboratory to see whether anything was amiss, and I found Professor Trenton's body. I was greatly disturbed, but I found the composure to telephone the Constabulary.

MURDOCH  
Did you know Professor Trenton?

BARNES (wipes a tear)  
Yes. I knew Marion.

MURDOCH  
Do you know whether he had any enemies or anyone who might want to harm him?

BARNES (sniffles)  
Yes. I know he had a longstanding dispute with Professor Marc Newell.

CRABTREE  
Newell, N-E-W—?

BARNES  
E-L-L. Marc is spelled M-A-R-C, short for "Marcus."

MURDOCH  
Are there any others with whom Professor Trenton was on poor terms?

BARNES  
Not that I know of.

MURDOCH  
This dispute between Professors Trenton and Newell: what was it about?

BARNES  
Professor Newell claimed that Professor Trenton had stolen some research pertaining to thermodynamic and compression properties of materials, especially various mixtures of concrete. Professor Trenton published an article on the subject as his own work, and Professor Newell was furious. I'm sorry, I don't know the details, it happened before I joined the department. Professor Campbell is head of the department; he can tell you the details.

(CUT TO: INTERIOR CAMPBELL'S OFFICE. Professor John CAMPBELL is in a chair behind the desk in his office, with MURDOCH and CRABTREE, seated, facing him. A nameplate on his desk identifies him. The desk is a mess, covered with all sorts of papers.)

CAMPBELL  
Oh, yes. The business with Professor Newell. (sighs.) Marion Trenton copied some of Marc Newell's analysis about properties of concrete, and passed it off as his own.

MURDOCH  
Do you mean that Professor Trenton "allegedly" copied some of Professor Newell's work?

CAMPBELL  
No. It was a pretty clear case of copying, a very clear case in my opinion of academic theft. When Professor Newell found out about it, he complained to the university, and the university referred the matter to the Liberal Arts department that oversees the teaching of Chemistry. That is the department of which I am now the head.

MURDOCH  
I take it that Professor Newell is under a different department?

CAMPBELL  
Yes, he is. Professor Newell is attached to the department that deals with Engineering, and that department has no authority over Professor Trenton. My Department heard the evidence from both Professors Newell and Trenton, and took a vote as to whether sanctions ought to be imposed upon Professor Trenton. I thought the evidence of misconduct overwhelmingly favoured Professor Newell, and voted that way. But others felt differently. The vote was split equally. At the time, the head of the Department was Professor Bledsoe, rest in peace, and it fell to Professor Bledsoe to break the tie. He voted in favour of Professor Trenton.

MURDOCH  
And I expect Professor Newell was unhappy about that.

CAMPBELL  
(smirking) Unhappy, yes. (serious) He was furious! And rightly so, in my view.

MURDOCH  
Did you know that Professor Trenton would be working in the laboratory alone, yesterday morning?

CAMPBELL  
As a matter of fact, I did. I saw that he had signed his name on the reserve sheet, to reserve the lab that morning. I actually laughed, when I saw this, because yesterday was probably the only day when nobody would be around! Reserving the lab was totally unnecessary! He would very likely be all alone in the building, and he could use the lab anytime he wanted.

MURDOCH  
This "reserve sheet": could anyone look at it and see that Professor Trenton would be in the laboratory at that time?

CAMPBELL  
I suppose so, yes. If they knew where the sheet was. It hangs near the department offices.

MURDOCH  
May I see that "reserve sheet?"

CAMPBELL  
I have it right here.

(CAMPBELL starts to look through papers on his desk, but cannot find the sheet in the mess. MURDOCH feels uncomfortable waiting while CAMPBELL tries to find something in the mess on his desk.)

MURDOCH  
If it's all right with you, Professor, we will stop by later to see whether you'd found the sheet.

(CAMPBELL nods, but keeps looking. CUT TO: OFFICE OF PROFESSOR NEWELL. The office is somewhat smaller than the other offices seen so far, even cramped. NEWELL is in a chair behind the desk in his office. The professor's cane is propped in front of his desk. On one wall is a bookcase full of books. MURDOCH is seated next to the books, and CRABTREE stands, uncomfortably.)

NEWELL (emotionless)  
Yes, I've heard that Marion was killed.

MURDOCH  
I understand you had a longstanding dispute with Professor Trenton.

NEWELL  
That doesn't matter now, does it? Marion is dead.

MURDOCH  
Actually, I'd like to hear what you have to say about the dispute.

NEWELL (sourly)  
Three years ago, I'd guess, I was studying properties of new mixtures of concrete. Marion stole my analysis and published it as his own. I lodged a formal complaint, and the university and the Chemistry Departments decided not to do anything about it.

MURDOCH  
This happened three years ago? You sound like you are still bitter.

NEWELL  
I am still bitter. A little.

MURDOCH  
Then I think you will understand why I ask my next question. Where were you, yesterday morning?

NEWELL  
I was on campus all morning.

MURDOCH  
Were you in Building D?

NEWELL  
Yesterday? No. Not at all.

MURDOCH  
Where were you, yesterday morning? What did you do?

NEWELL  
I was inspecting Building C, if you must know, making a maintenance check before the start of the fall term.

MURDOCH  
You were in Building C all morning?

NEWELL  
Yes, except for the time when work assignments were being handed out to the students. Assignments were made outdoors, in the courtyard at about nine o'clock.

MURDOCH  
Are there any witnesses who could verify that you were in Building C the rest of morning?

NEWELL  
Yes. I was with a young man, named Clay.

MURDOCH  
Is Clay is first name or his last name?

NEWELL  
His last name. His first name was Richard. (correcting himself) No, Robert. Robert.

(CRABTREE notes the name in his notebook.)

MURDOCH  
And you were with Mr. Clay in Building C all morning?

NEWELL  
Yes. I inspected the building for anything that we ought to have urgently repaired before next term begins, and when I found something, I asked Clay to make a note of it. I also asked him to point out anything that he could see that I might miss: holes in the ceiling, dangling electric wires, anything. This work took the entire morning. I believe we finished just before noon.

MURDOCH  
Other than Mr. Clay, did anyone else see you in Building C?

NEWELL  
No. That is, I don't remember seeing anyone else.

CRABTREE  
(to NEWELL) Sir, did you say you made a list of items to be repaired in Building C?

(While CRABTREE asks, MURDOCH glances at the bookcase next to him. There are books pertaining to Chemistry and Physics, but he notices two books, one entitled "Introduction to Conjuring" and the other entitled "A Conjuror's Handbook." MURDOCH is a bit surprised to see books about performing arts next to books about science.)

NEWELL  
Yes.

CRABTREE  
May we see that list, sir? It may further corroborate your version of the events, sir.

NEWELL  
I gave it to our maintenance staff.

CRABTREE  
Do you know how we can get in contact with Mr. Clay, sir?

NEWELL  
I assume he is a student here, probably living in a dormitory.

MURDOCH  
Sir, you mentioned something about "assignments being handed out to the students." What is that about?

NEWELL  
It's sort of a tradition here. Shortly before start of term, there are always some last-minute things that need doing, and we are short of manpower. So we ask for volunteers among the students who have arrived early, and they assist us with what needs to be done.

MURDOCH  
And the work assignments you mentioned, those were work assignments that you made to the student volunteers?

NEWELL  
Actually, I didn't make the assignments. Reverend Paul Spencer made all of the assignments. This whole student-volunteer idea was Reverend Spencer's idea; he hatched the idea many years ago and has been participating in it every year.

MURDOCH  
And yesterday, how many students volunteered?

NEWELL  
Just ten. Most years it's more, some years it's less. The students got assigned things like cleaning and moving things and various menial chores.

MURDOCH  
And Mr. Clay was assigned to assist you?

NEWELL  
He was. Reverend Spencer assigned him to me.

(CUT TO: EXTERIOR SHOT OF A DORMITORY on campus, later in the day. CUT TO: INTERIOR OF A DORMITORY ROOM. The room is cramped. CLAY stands tall, and then sits on a bed, while MURDOCH sits on a chair and CRABTREE stands.)

CLAY  
My job was to help Professor Newell as he made an inspection tour of one of the buildings, and noted any damage or things that needed to be repaired. When he spotted something, he had me make a note of it.

MURDOCH  
That sounds like easy work. Why did he need you at all?

CLAY  
I don't know, but I think it was because he walks with a cane, and the cane made it so he doesn't have one free hand to hold a clipboard and another free hand to write notes.

MURDOCH  
And where in Building C did you go? What floors? What offices?

CLAY  
I don't remember all the places. I'd never been in the building before. Professor Newell could probably tell you.

MURDOCH  
Since you were unfamiliar with the building, was it possible, Mr. Clay, that you actually went into Building D rather than Building C?

CLAY (unsure)  
I don't think so. I think the sign in front of the building said it was Building C.

MURDOCH  
And you were in that same building all morning, with Professor Newell?

CLAY  
Yes, I was. We finished our work and ate lunch with the others.

MURDOCH  
Was Professor Newell with you at all times?

CLAY  
Absolutely.

MURDOCH  
Did anyone else see you and Professor Newell in the building?

CLAY  
No. The whole campus was pretty deserted.

MURDOCH  
May I ask, why did you volunteer for this work detail?

CLAY  
I didn't volunteer to work with Professor Newell. I was assigned to work with him. Assigned by Reverend Spencer.

MURDOCH  
No, what I mean is, I understand that ten students volunteered to help with some work or other on campus yesterday. Why did you volunteer?

CLAY  
Oh. Lots of reasons, I guess, but one was rather important to me. I wanted to do something nice for Reverend Spencer. He, uh, has some influence at this university, and he is known for helping students who feel they may be overwhelmed by university life. You see, I'm— (he lowers his eyes)— I'm not quite sure that I'm "university material." I, uh, grew up on a farm and attended a small country school.

MURDOCH (interested)  
You say you grew up on a farm? What kind of farm?

CLAY (smiling fondly)  
We grew hay and wheat, mostly. Had some chickens, some cattle.

MURDOCH  
Dairy cattle?

CLAY  
Yeah.

MURDOCH  
And your school was small?

CLAY  
It was a one-room schoolhouse in the country. My teacher was Mr. Schroeder. I was the best student in my grade, but that was because (smiles) I was the only student in my grade. (turning serious) Mr. Schroeder thought I might be able to manage a university education, but I am not so sure.

MURDOCH  
And you volunteered to help with the work because—?

CLAY  
I thought it would be helpful to have some "friends," some "friends" who are faculty, if you know what I mean. People who might be able to help me, if I, you know—

MURDOCH  
I understand. Friends who are not students but who are in positions of some authority.

(CLAY nods. CUT TO: INTERIOR CAMPBELL'S OFFICE. MURDOCH pokes his head into the office from a partly open door. CAMPBELL is standing, holding a sheet of paper.)

CAMPBELL  
Ah, Detective, I found the reservation sheet. You might find something on it interesting.

(MURDOCH and CRABTREE enter the office. CAMPBELL hands the paper to MURDOCH. MURDOCH examines the paper; CRABTREE tries to see what is on the paper but cannot get a good look.)

CAMPBELL  
Here (pointing) is Professor Trenton's signature, reserving the laboratory for yesterday morning. And (pointing) these initials, "MWN," are the initials of Professor Newell.

(MURDOCH gets excited.)

MURDOCH  
Look at this, George! After Professor Trenton reserved that laboratory, Professor Newell reserved it!

CAMPBELL  
Yes. But notice, though, Detective, that even though Professor Newell reserved the lab after Professor Trenton made his reservation, Professor Newell actually USED the lab four days earlier than Professor Trenton.

(MURDOCH checks, and seems satisfied that CAMPBELL is right.)

MURDOCH  
Yes, that is what this document seems to show. But it also suggests that Professor Newell signed the sheet after Professor Trenton did, and therefore Professor Newell knew that Professor Trenton would be in the laboratory at the time he was murdered!

(FADE OUT.)


	3. ACT 3

ACT III

(FADE IN: SHOT OF A BUILDING ON CAMPUS, later in the day. It is clearly a university building, but not clear which one. CUT TO: INTERIOR OF THE BUILDING, PROFESSOR NEWELL'S OFFICE. NEWELL is at his desk, writing. There is a knock [SFX] on the door.)

NEWELL  
Come in!

(The door opens, and MURDOCH and CRABTREE enter. NEWELL is a little surprised to see them, and a little irked, but he waves them inside anyway. CRABTREE closes the door.)

MURDOCH  
I am sorry to disturb you, Professor, but I had a few more questions.

NEWELL  
Fine.

MURDOCH  
As I'm sure you are aware, sir, Professor Trenton was killed in a laboratory in Building D. As I understand, that laboratory is typically locked. I was wondering, do you have a key to that laboratory?

NEWELL (promptly)  
Yes.

MURDOCH  
So you do use that laboratory.

NEWELL  
Yes, of course I do! Some of the best scales are in that laboratory, for weighing precise amounts of chemicals or materials. When I need to make precise measurements, I use those scales.

MURDOCH  
You do not use the scales in your own department?

NEWELL (grumbling)  
The university will not pay for our department to have its own scales. If I need to do some precise measurement, I must use the scales in Building D.

MURDOCH  
So you have been in the laboratory where Professor Trenton's body was found.

NEWELL (leaning forward)  
I could have guessed that you get around to asking about that. Yes, I have been in that lab. Many times. In fact, I was in there three or four days ago. And I also suspect that you might find my finger marks or whatever you call them, in the lab, if you hadn't found them already. And further, I suppose you already KNEW that I had been in the lab, and that you are asking me to see whether I would foolishly deny it. Well, let me speak plainly: I have been in that lab. But I was not in that lab on the day that Professor Trenton was killed. I was not in the lab, I was not even in the building!

(NEWELL leans back.)

NEWELL  
And no one could say otherwise.

MURDOCH  
And Mr. Clay supports your story.

NEWELL  
As well he should.

(MURDOCH looks at the professor's cane, propped in front of the desk. MURDOCH sees something and goes in for a closer look.)

MURDOCH  
May I?

(Without waiting for permission, MURDOCH scrutinizes the head of the cane.)

MURDOCH  
There is a small nick or dent in the head of your cane, Professor Newell. It looks like a tooth mark.

NEWELL (getting angry)  
You can't prove that!

(MURDOCH stands up and smiles.)

MURDOCH  
Perhaps not.

(CUT TO: ESTABLISHING SHOT OF STATION HOUSE NUMBER FOUR, afternoon. CUT TO: INTERIOR OF STATION HOUSE NUMBER FOUR, BRACKENREID'S OFFICE. BRACKENREID sits in his chair, MURDOCH stands.)

MURDOCH  
Sir, we still have a ways to go in the investigation. I have asked Constables Crabtree and Higgins to contact some other witnesses, including the other nine student volunteers, to see what can be learned. Having said that, it would seem that there are one or more persons who stand out as our most likely suspects.

BRACKENREID  
And they would be?

MURDOCH  
Professor Newell, and his associate, Mr. Clay.

BRACKENREID  
And why would they be the most likely suspects?

MURDOCH  
They have motive. Professor Newell, especially. He had a long-standing grudge against Professor Trenton. Apparently this malice was based upon an incident of academic misconduct committed by Professor Trenton against Professor Newell, for which Professor Trenton escaped punishment.

BRACKENREID  
This Professor Clay, what's his motive?

MURDOCH  
Mr. Clay is not a professor. He is just a first-year university student who feels out of his element and who is looking to make "friends" who will help him at university.

BRACKENREID (slightly sarcastic)  
Clay wants to make "friends" with Newell by killing Newell's enemy?

MURDOCH  
We know that Professor Trenton was attacked by two men, at the very least. One of them carried an object of some kind that was used to strike Professor Trenton in the mouth, knocking out one of his teeth. Professor Newell carries a cane, which could have been used for that purpose.

BRACKENREID (unconvinced)  
"Could have been used?"

MURDOCH  
The cane is wooden, and has a recently-made concave dent or nick in it. When I mentioned to Professor Newell that this dent looked like a tooth mark, he said something strange. He might have said something like, "Oh, I never noticed that before"; or "Oh, that was caused by me dropping the cane." But instead, he said something curious. He said, "You can't prove that!"

BRACKENREID (a little more impressed)  
In other words, he didn't deny it.

MURDOCH  
And Mr. Clay fits the bill of being the second attacker, a man who is tall and very strong. As I understand, some of the other student volunteers were in good physical shape, but Mr. Clay was exceptionally so. He is big and muscular, and he grew up on a farm.

BRACKENREID  
Grew up on a farm? You mean, he became very strong by hauling bushels of oats and slinging bales of hay and the like?

MURDOCH  
Yes. And this farm was also a dairy farm.

BRACKENREID  
So?

MURDOCH  
Whoever attacked Professor Trenton had a very powerful grip. People who work on dairy farms, and who milk cows, tend to develop very strong hands, very powerful grips.

(MURDOCH pantomimes a milking action, squeezing and relaxing his grip.)

BRACKENREID (even more impressed)  
And Newell and Clay have no alibis for the time of the crime, do they? Except they each support the other! And they admit they were near the scene of the crime at the time of the crime!

MURDOCH  
And Professor Newell even admits he has a key to the laboratory where the crime took place.

BRACKENREID (nodding)  
Yes, I'd say that makes them leading suspects, all right!

MURDOCH  
There is just one problem.

BRACKENREID (deflated)  
What problem?

MURDOCH  
As best I can tell, there was only one time when this crime COULD have been committed, and that is the time it WAS committed. At any other time, Professor Trenton would be unlikely to be known to be alone in the laboratory, and Mr. Clay would have no reason to be on campus in the company of Professor Newell.

BRACKENREID  
And why is that a problem?

MURDOCH  
Because: for Professor Newell and Mr. Clay to commit this crime, they almost certainly conspired in advance.

BRACKENREID  
Of course they conspired in advance. I'd find it hard to accept that Professor Newell could spontaneously convince a student— a student he'd never previously met— that he and the student ought to spend a morning committing a murder.

MURDOCH  
So, in order for this plan to work, they would have had to conspired in advance to attack Professor Trenton, AND Mr. Clay would HAVE to be paired with Professor Newell. And yet, all of the statements we have so far seem to say that Mr. Clay was assigned to work with Professor Newell by someone else, and not by Professor Newell.

BRACKENREID  
In other words, there were ten student volunteers. And any of them could be assigned to Professor Newell. Professor Newell could have been assigned to work with someone other than Clay.

MURDOCH  
Yes. And if anyone other than Mr. Clay was assigned to Professor Newell, then the plan could not have gone forward.

BRACKENREID  
You say Newell didn't make the selection of his own partner? Who did put Newell and Clay together?

MURDOCH  
The consensus seems to be that Reverend Paul Spencer assigned Mr. Clay to Professor Newell; but it was just a matter of random chance. Any other student could just as easily have been assigned to Professor Newell.

BRACKENREID  
And if any other student would have been assigned to Newell, then the murder could not have occurred at all. (bothered) Yes, that is a problem. Our case against Newell and Clay is circumstantial enough as it is. This was a premeditated crime. We'd have to show that they conspired ahead of time. They could counter that the only reason they were even together AT ALL was because this Reverend Spencer put them together.

MURDOCH  
Yes.

BRACKENREID  
If putting Newell and Clay together was truly random, that means they couldn't have planned the crime. They couldn't have participated in a premeditated murder.

MURDOCH  
That would be one reasonable conclusion, sir.

BRACKENREID (harrumphing)  
Maybe this Reverend Spencer was in on it as well.

MURDOCH (very skeptical)  
He was part of the conspiracy? I doubt—

BRACKENREID  
Have your talked to this Reverend Spencer yet?

MURDOCH  
Not yet.

BRACKENREID  
You better talk to him. Even if he wasn't in on it, I'll wager it wasn't a random thing. I'll wager that Newell told Spencer that he wanted Clay as his partner, and Spencer obliged him.

(CUT TO: SHOT OF A BUILDING ON CAMPUS, morning. The building may appear to have religious decoration in addition to an academic appearance. CUT TO: INTERIOR OF THE BUILDING, A SITTING AREA. REVEREND SPENCER sits in his wheelchair next to a table, on which there is a teacup. MURDOCH and CRABTREE sit in chairs nearby.)

SPENCER  
This use of student volunteers shortly before term: yes, that was my idea. There always seem to be last-minute jobs to complete. In the past, I asked for volunteers by writing to alumnae whose children are now going to university, and by putting up notices in the student commons.

MURDOCH  
This year, you attracted ten student volunteers. Is that typical?

SPENCER (gesturing indifferently)  
Yes, I'd say so.

MURDOCH  
How long have you been involved with this volunteer project?

SPENCER  
Oh, it must be twenty, thirty years now. But I don't do it anymore. Professor Marcus Newell took over my duties three years ago. Professor Newell creates a list of tasks that need to be done.

MURDOCH  
I understand that you still come out to meet the student volunteers?

SPENCER  
Yes, to meet them, and to thank them, and to tell them that I will treat them to lunch.

MURDOCH  
As you did earlier this week.

SPENCER  
Yes.

MURDOCH  
Who assigns which students perform which tasks?

SPENCER  
Professor Newell does.

(MURDOCH thinks this is significant.)

SPENCER (continuing)  
But earlier this week, I made the assignments. Professor Newell did not make them.

(MURDOCH is suddenly less impressed with the significance.)

MURDOCH (making sure he understood)  
Professor Newell did not assign any student to a task? You made all of the assignments?

SPENCER  
That is exactly right.

MURDOCH  
Did Professor Newell in any way urge you or suggest to you how the assignments ought to be made?

SPENCER  
No.

MURDOCH  
Did Professor Newell say anything to you about what student volunteer might be best suited for a particular task?

SPENCER  
No. It was entirely up to me.

MURDOCH  
One of the assignments was to serve as an assistant to Professor Newell. Did Professor Newell ask you to assign a particular person to him?

SPENCER  
Certainly not.

MURDOCH  
Did Professor Newell SUGGEST that any particular person be assigned?

SPENCER (becoming irritated)  
No. No! It was entirely left to my discretion.

MURDOCH  
I understand that you assigned a student named Robert Clay to work with Professor Newell.

SPENCER  
Yes.

MURDOCH  
Would it be your testimony, Reverend, that you could have just as easily assigned a student other than Mr. Clay to assist Professor Newell?

SPENCER (a bit surprised, and a little offended)  
My "testimony?" Do you mean, would I testify to such a thing under oath, before God? Most certainly I would! It was my choice as to who did what task. It was no one else's choice. You seem to be trying— for some reason— to get me to say that Professor Newell made the assignments, or that he requested or suggested the assignments. No such thing occurred! It was all my choice. (grumbling) I'm not senile! Not yet, anyway. I don't much care for any insinuation that I don't remember things or that I do only what I'm told.

MURDOCH (shocked that he caused offense)  
My sincere apologies, Reverend. I was simply trying to confirm what the facts are.

SPENCER  
And the facts are, Detective, that Professor Marc Newell let me do the choosing.

(MURDOCH nods and smiles, as if accepting what SPENCER said. FADE OUT.)


	4. ACT 4

ACT IV

(FADE IN: EXTERIOR STATION HOUSE NUMBER FOUR, daytime. CUT TO: INTERIOR STATION HOUSE NUMBER FOUR, INTERROGATION ROOM. Sitting around the table are MURDOCH, OGDEN, BRACKENREID, CRABTREE, HIGGINS.)

MURDOCH  
I thought it would be most convenient if we all assembled, so that we can share the information that has been gathered. Doctor Ogden, would you please give us a brief description of the likely physical characteristics of the killer?

OGDEN  
It was almost certainly a man. He was probably over six feet tall. He was extraordinarily strong, able to squeeze things tightly with his hands, and to lift a grown man into the air.

MURDOCH  
Constables Crabtree and Higgins, you have questioned the volunteer students. Did any of them match that description?

(CRABTREE is silent. HIGGINS raises his hand.)

HIGGINS  
I questioned two people who partly match that description, sir. One was a student named Umforth, who was male and quite tall. But he did not seem to be especially muscular, sir.

MURDOCH  
And the other?

HIGGINS  
He was not a student. He was Mr. Atherton, who directed the work at Building B and supervised the students. He was quite muscular, sir, although I am not sure whether he was over six feet tall.

MURDOCH  
How many students did Mr. Atherton supervise, Henry?

HIGGINS  
Five, sir. He needed help with moving some building materials— wood, brick, paint, waste— out of areas where construction was completed. The five students all said that there was a lot of lifting and carrying, but the work was not difficult. They were done in about two hours, well before noon. They stayed together through lunch.

MURDOCH  
Did any of them notice any time period when Mr. Atherton was absent?

HIGGINS  
No, sir. On the contrary, they all remarked how he worked just as hard as they did, and that he made several funny jokes. And none of the students went missing at any time, either, sir.

MURDOCH  
Very well.

HIGGINS  
I also spoke with a Professor Bottoms and Mr. Burlington, who work in Building B. Each of them supervised a single student in performance of some menial tasks that took a little over two hours. The students were named Daly and Berger, and they told the very same stories, sir.

MURDOCH  
(to CRABTREE) George, you went to Building A. What did you find?

CRABTREE  
I spoke with a Mr. Hopper, who verified that he spent the morning with two students, named Schneider and Avlon. The students tell a version of the story that matches Mr. Hopper's. Apparently Mr. Hopper was somewhat upset: he had asked Professor Newell for three students to assist him in his clean-up job, and Professor Newell sent only two. They barely finished the job before noon. The students were afraid they would miss lunch.

MURDOCH  
Actually, it was Reverend Spencer who selected those students for that job, not Professor Newell.

CRABTREE  
Nevertheless, Mr. Hopper was angry, and he blamed Professor Newell.

MURDOCH  
Understandable, I suppose.

CRABTREE  
And further, sir, I spoke to a Mr. Gibbon, who also was angry at Professor Newell.

MURDOCH  
Oh? Who is Mr. Gibbon?

CRABTREE  
He is the man in charge of maintenance, who was supposed to perform final fix-up operations on Building C before the start of term. As you will recall, sir, Professor Newell and Mr. Clay were supposed to inspect Building C for any maintenance issues, and prepare a list of things to be fixed.

MURDOCH  
Yes.

(CRABTREE rummages for a document, and finds it, and hands it to MURDOCH.)

CRABTREE  
This is the list of maintenance issues that Professor Newell and Mr. Clay made. As you can see, sir, there are only fourteen items on it, most of them minor.

MURDOCH  
Yes.

CRABTREE  
Mr. Gibbon, the maintenance man, was delighted when he saw that list. Those fourteen items were easy to fix.

OGDEN  
So Mr. Gibbon was delighted? I thought I heard you say that he was angry, George.

CRABTREE  
He was angry, Doctor. Mr. Gibbon said that this list shows all of the needed repair work for Building C's first floor, and most of the needed repair work for Building C's second floor. But is completely omits any repair problems on Building C's third floor.

MURDOCH  
And this was why Mr. Gibbon was angry?

CRABTREE  
Yes; because some of the problems on the second floor were overlooked. And when Mr. Gibbon went to the third floor, he saw immediately two broken light fixtures that were not on Professor Newell's list. In fact, Mr. Gibbon said he found about a dozen other maintenance issues that had been overlooked by Professor Newell. He called Professor Newell's list a "half-baked piece of work." Mr. Gibbon also said, and I quote, "I'll wager that lazy bastard never even went up onto the third floor," unquote.

BRACKENREID  
I'm thinking that Gibbon is right. Newell and his boy Clay DID make a shoddy inspection of Building C; and Newell and Clay made a shoddy inspection because they spent part of their time doing something thing else: killing Trenton in Building D!

MURDOCH  
But again, we come to the business of how it could have happened that Mr. Clay could have been assigned to assist Professor Newell. The evidence seems to be clear that Reverend Spencer, not Professor Newell, put the two of them together.

OGDEN  
Maybe Reverend Spencer was in on the plot to kill Professor Trenton—?

BRACKENREID  
That's what I wondered, too, Doctor.

MURDOCH (firmly)  
I do not think so. I have checked into Reverend Spencer, and his credentials as a moral guide for students are, well, an example to us all. No jury would ever find that he participated in or in any way approved of this horrific murder.

(MURDOCH sighs.)

MURDOCH  
And yet, without Reverend Spencer's involvement, this murder plot could not have been carried out.

MURDOCH sighs again.)

MURDOCH  
I need to think things through a little more. And there is an errand I need to attend to. Thank you all for your assistance. I will talk to you if I need anything further.

(MURDOCH stands, and others follow suit. The meeting is adjourned. CUT TO: ESTABLISHING SHOT OF A TORONTO CITY STREET, daytime. CUT TO: ESTABLISHING SHOT OF A BOOKSTORE, same time. CUT TO: INTERIOR OF THE BOOKSTORE. There are books on shelves all around. At a counter stands Albert MILTON, owner of the shop. MURDOCH stands on the other side of the counter. MILTON is reviewing a list, and holds it so that MURDOCH can see the list as well. MURDOCH points to the first item on the list.)

MURDOCH  
I found this book in the public library. It is mostly for readers who are children.

(MURDOCH points to the second item on the list.)

MURDOCH  
But I cannot seem to find this book, and I was wondering whether you could help me.

(MILTON looks at the list and frowns.)

MILTON  
Well, Detective, I can tell you that I do not carry this book. I do have a friend, however, who dabbles in this sort of thing, and he might know where you could get a copy. He may even have a copy in his own extensive collection, though I doubt he would sell it to you.

MURDOCH  
I do not want to buy it. I would just like to borrow it. If he would be so kind.

MILTON  
I will telephone him right now. He only lives a short distance from here.

(CUT TO: EXTERIOR STATION HOUSE NUMBER FOUR, daytime. CUT TO: INTERIOR STATION HOUSE NUMBER FOUR, BRACKENREID'S OFFICE. BRACKENREID sits behind his desk, reviewing a document that he holds in his hand. The desk is otherwise clear of documents. The office door opens; MURDOCH peeks his head in and knocks.)

MURDOCH  
Sir, if you have a few minutes, I'd like to show you something.

BRACKENREID  
Show me what?

(MURDOCH enters the office and closes the office door. From his pocket, MURDOCH takes a small packet of playing cards. BRACKENREID sets aside the document in his hand and wonders what MURDOCH is up to. MURDOCH lays out on the desk all ten playing cards in a row, face down.)

MURDOCH  
Sir, would you please divide these ten cards into two groups of five, in any way you wish.

BRACKENREID (playing along)  
All right.

MURDOCH  
Do not let me influence you in your decision in any way!

(BRACKENREID slides five of the cards from the row toward himself. MURDOCH collects the five cards not slid out and furthest from BRACKENREID, and puts them in his pocket, leaving five cards face down on the table.)

MURDOCH  
Now, from the cards you selected, please divide them into a group of three, and a group of two.

(BRACKENREID does so. The group of three is closest to him.)

MURDOCH  
Now indicate whichever of the two groups you like.

(BRACKENREID, with a smirk, points to the group of two cards furthest away from him. Without missing a beat, MURDOCH collects the other three cards and places them in his pocket, leaving two cards on the table.)

MURDOCH  
You like those two? Excellent, sir. Now, if you will, please, sir. Place your finger (speaking slowly) on any card you like—

(MURDOCH draws out the word "like," as if his sentence is not complete. Before MURDOCH completes his sentence, BRACKENREID puts his finger on a card. With no break in rhythm, MURDOCH completes the sentence that he was starting.)

MURDOCH  
— And I will put THAT card in my pocket with the others. This one, sir? Very good.

(MURDOCH slides the card from under BRACKENREID's finger and puts the card in his pocket, leaving one card face down on the table. BRACKENREID withdraws his hand, and stares at the card.)

MURDOCH  
Would you agree that the card in front of you was freely selected, sir?

BRACKENREID  
I would.

MURDOCH  
You have selected the ace of diamonds.

(BRACKENREID turns over the card. It is the ace of diamonds.)

BRACKENREID  
Ace of diamonds.

(MURDOCH seems pleased with himself. BRACKENREID is a bit puzzled but hardly amazed. He thinks he's figured out the trick.)

BRACKENREID  
The cards were marked!

MURDOCH  
No, sir, they were not.

BRACKENREID (proposing another solution)  
You memorized all of the cards and kept track of them as I made my selections!

MURDOCH  
No, sir.

BRACKENREID (trying again)  
Every single one of those cards was an ace of diamonds! It didn't matter which one I'd pick!

(MURDOCH pulls the cards from his pocket and tosses them on the table, face-up. No other card is an ace of diamonds, and it turns out that the other nine cards are all clubs and spades, with no red cards at all.)

MURDOCH  
No, sir; but I must congratulate you, for this trick can indeed be performed using each of those very techniques! But I used none of those techniques.

BRACKENREID  
You played the odds, then. One time out of ten, I'd pick the right card.

MURDOCH  
Sir, if I performed this trick for Constable Crabtree, he would select the ace of diamonds. If I performed this trick for Constable Higgins, he too would select the ace of diamonds. The trick is sure-fire.

BRACKENREID (now baffled)  
But how? I made free choices! You told me not to let you influence me in my decisions, and I did not.

MURDOCH  
And if you had to, you'd swear to that court? You'd swear that you made all choices freely? You'd swear before God?

(It seems an odd question; BRACKENREID takes a moment to answer.)

BRACKENREID  
Yes!

(MURDOCH smiles. BRACKENREID is now mixing a little irritation with his puzzlement.)

BRACKENREID  
Well, Murdoch? Are you bloody going to tell me how you did it!?

MURDOCH  
I did it in the same way that Professor Newell made certain that he would be paired with Mr. Clay. That pairing was NOT random. It was sure-fire.

(MURDOCH smiles subtly; BRACKENREID is befuddled. FADE OUT.)


	5. ACT 5

(WARNING: This chapter includes an explanation of a secret technique used by magicians and conjurors. If you do not wish to know this secret, do not read this chapter. Oh, who are we trying to kid? If you've read the story this far, OF COURSE you're going to want to see the solution.)

ACT V

(FADE IN. BRACKENREID'S OFFICE, seconds later, everything the same as it was before. BRACKENREID points at the face-up ace on the desk.)

BRACKENREID  
You say, Murdoch, that I would be absolutely certain to select THIS card, and not any of the others, and that the technique would be the same one that Professor Newell to made absolutely certain that he would be paired with Mr. Clay, and not any of the other students?

(MURDOCH nods.)

BRACKENREID  
But Newell didn't make any choices at all! Reverend Spencer made all the choices!

MURDOCH  
Just as you made all of the choices with respect to the cards, sir. And just as you would be willing to say under oath that you made all of your choices freely, so too would Reverend Spencer.

(Light dawns, BRACKENREID starts to understand.)

BRACKENREID  
And you're saying that this was just a trick. Reverend Spencer thought he was making free choices, but in reality, he was not. That Clay would be assigned to Newell was guaranteed!

MURDOCH  
Correct. Professor Newell intended from the very outset to be partnered with Mr. Clay, but he wanted the partnership to be perceived as a matter of chance, or something over which he had no control. He allowed Reverend Spencer to believe that that pairing was Reverend Spencer's choice, rather than his own.

BRACKENREID  
So— how'd Newell do it?

(MURDOCH lays out the ten cards on the desk again, in a row. He turns all cards face down, except the ace of diamonds, which is face up. The ace of diamonds is eighth in the row from MURDOCH's point of view, third in the row from BRACKENREID's point of view.)

MURDOCH  
Professor Newell knew, of course, the person with whom he would like to be paired. In my version of the trick, I knew that this card—

(MURDOCH indicates the ace of diamonds, which he turns face down.)

MURDOCH  
— Is the card I wanted you to select. My job is to keep track of that card, no matter what choices you make. In Professor Newell's case, he merely kept track of Mr. Clay—

(MURDOCH turns the ace of diamonds face up.)

MURDOCH  
— Who was not hidden from him in any way.

BRACKENREID  
All right. The first thing you had me do was divide the cards into two groups of five. Just as Newell told Reverend Spencer to divide the group of ten students into two groups of five.

(BRACKENREID divides the cards into two groups of five.)

MURDOCH  
Yes. No matter how the selection is made, one group of five includes Mr. Clay (pointing to the ace), and one group of five does not. And then Professor Newell sent the group that did NOT include Mr. Clay to perform the moving job in Building B.

(BRACKENREID is catching on. BRACKENREID scoops up the group of five cards that does not include the face-up ace, and sets those cards aside.)

BRACKENREID  
So those five people are now out of the picture, and Reverend Spencer thinks that he is the one that selected the group for the moving assignment.

MURDOCH  
Yes.

BRACKENREID  
Right! And then you had me divide the cards into a group of three and a group of two. Just as Newell divided the remaining five students into a group of three and a group of two!

(BRACKENREID divides the cards into a group of three and a group of two. The face-up ace is in the group of two.)

MURDOCH  
Yes, sir. And regardless of whether Mr. Clay winds up in the group of three or the group of two, the group WITHOUT Mr. Clay is sent to do clean-up in Building A. This is the secret of the trick: whatever I do is dependent upon whatever choices you make. No matter what choices you make, I never award Mr. Clay any job EXCEPT that of my assistant, and yet, you think you are selecting each person for each job, and all this all seems quite logical to you!

BRACKENREID  
I think that I am making the choices. But in reality, you are narrowing down my options, making the choices!

MURDOCH  
Yes. Now, according to the students, Mr. Clay WAS placed in the group of three, rather than in the group of two, as you have it. If Reverend Spencer had placed Mr. Clay in the group of two, then the group of three would be sent off to do clean-up. But Reverend Spencer placed Mr. Clay in the group of three, so the group of two was sent off to do clean-up.

BRACKENREID  
And the bloke in charge of clean-up was angry, because he expected to get three students instead of two.

(BRACKENREID switches the ace with an indifferent face-down card, so that the ace is in the group of three. BRACKENREID then sets the group of two cards aside. The only cards on the desk are the face-up ace two face-down cards.)

MURDOCH  
Reverend Spencer would then make a choice to select one student.

BRACKENREID  
And what if he picked the wrong one?

MURDOCH  
He couldn't pick the wrong one. If Reverend Spencer had picked Mr. Clay, then Professor Newell would have said something like, "Fine, you are going to be my assistant." If Reverend Spencer had picked another student, then Professor Newell would have said something like, "Fine, you are going to help reorganize a library in Building A." You see? The consequences of the choice were never explained in advance, so Reverend Spencer thought he was selecting people to perform particular tasks, even though he was not.

(BRACKENREID muses over this trick, and starts to smile. He gathers up the playing cards and holds them in his hand.)

BRACKENREID  
I'll be damned. I'm going to have to do this one down at the pub. Who knows how many free drinks I can win?

MURDOCH  
I caution you, sir, that though the technique is easily understood, it does require practice to master. It usually requires some clever improvisation. Professional conjurers who use it are so skilled and so polished that no one is ever the wiser that it is being used at all! It is a technique based not upon smoke and mirrors or sleight-of-hand or gimmickry; it is based solely upon psychology. Among some conjurors, the technique is called "equivoqué."

BRACKENREID  
Sounds French. Did the French come up with it?

MURDOCH  
I don't know. The word almost certainly has Latin roots, but—

BRACKENREID (interrupting)  
And this is how Newell did it, Murdoch?

MURDOCH  
Yes. On Professor Newell's shelves in his office were two books on the subject of conjuring. I found one of those books through a dealer in rare books. That book about conjuring, a copy of which is in Professor Newell's bookcase, includes a discussion of equivoqué, and it appears that Professor Newell may have learned of the technique from this book and adapted it to his own use.

BRACKENREID (bothered)  
I think I see a problem. There's no way Newell could know in advance how many student volunteers would show up.

MURDOCH  
One of the pleasant things about equivoqué is that is can be applied to any number of selections, once you understand the principle.

BRACKENREID  
Do the other witnesses agree this was the way it was done?

MURDOCH  
The other volunteer students agree that they did not know for which assignment they were being selected until after the selection was made. They have all given sworn statements to that effect.

(BRACKENREID stands.)

BRACKENREID  
Assemble four constables, Murdoch. All armed with truncheons.

MURDOCH  
Four constables, to arrest Professor Newell, sir?

BRACKENREID  
No, one constable to arrest Newell. Three constables to arrest Clay. From what I hear, he's big enough that we'll need at least three.

MURDOCH  
Good thinking, sir.

(CUT TO: ESTABLISHING SHOT OF STATION HOUSE NUMBER FOUR, evening. CUT TO: INTERIOR OF STATION HOUSE NUMBER FOUR, MURDOCH'S OFFICE. The door to the office is open. MURDOCH is writing a report, but seems to be finishing up. OGDEN enters the office; MURDOCH notices.)

MURDOCH  
Ah, Julia, I'm just about done.

OGDEN  
I heard that you arrested Professor Newell and his assistant without incident.

MURDOCH  
We did. After arresting Mr. Clay, we searched his dormitory room, and we found a garrotte. Faced with this evidence, Mr. Clay has confessed his participation. Mr. Clay, it would seem, made the acquaintance of Professor Newell more than a year ago, and Mr. Clay further says that Professor Newell offered to help him in university: help him academically, and help him financially. Apparently Mr. Clay's financial need is quite dire.

OGDEN  
So for academic assistance and some money—

MURDOCH  
Quite a lot of money, actually.

OGDEN  
— Mr. Clay would participate in a murder.

MURDOCH  
Yes. Professor Newell apparently also convinced Mr. Clay that Professor Trenton justly deserved to be severely punished, and that the two of them would never be caught if they set things up right. Professor Newell knew that the campus would be deserted in the days before start of term, and he also knew that Professor Trenton would be alone in a laboratory at the time that the student volunteer project was underway. According to Mr. Clay, Professor Newell thought that the volunteer project would offer excellent cover. According to Mr. Clay, Professor Newell had a sure-fire way of making sure Reverend Spencer would put the two men together. They would go to Building C, and when the coast was clear, they would walk to Building D, and "take care" of Professor Trenton. According to Mr. Clay, waiting for the coast to clear took more time than expected.

OGDEN  
They went to the laboratory, Professor Newell opened the laboratory with his key, and Mr. Clay grabbed Professor Trenton by the wrists.

MURDOCH  
According to Mr. Clay, as Professor Trenton's wrists were being held behind his back, Professor Trenton insulted Professor Newell quite, uh, personally. Professor Newell responded to the insult by striking Professor Trenton in the mouth with his cane, knocking out a tooth. Then Mr. Clay used his garrotte—

OGDEN  
— And lifted Professor Trenton off the floor, strangling him, effectively hanging him. And when the deed was done, they returned to Building C, to continue on with their job.

MURDOCH  
Yes. They had lost some time because of the murder, and were unable to do a very good job with the inspection in the time they had remaining.

OGDEN  
Has Professor Newell confessed?

MURDOCH  
No. At least, not yet.

OGDEN  
And you say you are nearly done here?

MURDOCH  
I am!

OGDEN  
Good.

(OGDEN produces three index cards, showing no writing, and places them in front of MURDOCH.)

OGDEN  
I have three options for dinner tonight.

MURDOCH  
Well, knowing you as I do, Julia, I have a very good idea where you'd like to dine!

OGDEN  
But I want this to be a free choice! William, I would like you to extend the index finger of your right hand, and place your finger on one of the cards—

MURDOCH (amused)  
Never mind! We're going to the Country Club!

(MURDOCH turns the cards over, one after another; each card says: "Country Club.")

MURDOCH  
And no matter what I may think, I don't really have a choice, do I?

(OGDEN smiles, as does MURDOCH. FADE OUT.)

THE END


End file.
